Explosions, flames erupt at home in southeast Merced

Flames engulfed a house Tuesday morning in southeast Merced and at least one explosion rattled the neighborhood.

First reports of a house fire came just before 9 a.m. on Shirley Street near Dawn Avenue.

Thomas Buchanan told the Sun-Star he first smelled smoke when he was watering outside. Then, he said, the smoke alarms went off.

The 55-year-old Merced man scrambled to get his 80-year-old mother outside safely as flames chewed through the back of the house and raced into the garage. Nobody was injured.

Black smoke was heavy when firefighters arrived and the fire was growing. When they opened the garage door, the fire “broke loose,” Merced City Fire Battalion Chief Cory Haas said. No injuries or deaths were reported from the blaze.

Flames from the back of the Merced County home spread to a neighboring house and burned another structure, some fencing and a few trees.

The cause of the fire was not immediately clear. Buchanan said his air conditioner may have sparked the flames.

Neighbors heard at least two explosions.

Rachel Rojas was watching TV just three houses down on Dawn Avenue when she heard the explosions.

“It shook the whole house,” Rojas said, adding her son thought the noise was someone banging on the door. “We heard the second one right after that.”

Haas said the explosions may have been caused when flames reached the propane tanks on an outdoor grill.

A total of 18 firefighters battled the blaze from the home’s roof and the backyard area.

“We actually had our whole department committed to this incident,” Haas told the Sun-Star.

A damage estimate was not available.

This story was originally published July 23, 2019 at 9:59 AM.